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Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

I wanted to wait to have something to actually show before I began my build thread and I think we are there. I know George Buehler and Diesel Ducks can be a bit polarizing in the wooden boat community. However, while she won't be a traditional wooden boat she will be a boat built of wood. Therefore I think it will be of interest to viewers of this forum.

As a complete boat building rookie, who's never even owned a boat, the rugged simplicity of the Diesel Duck was very appealing. So far the experience has exceeded my expectations. It has been so satisfying and fun to work all these pieces of lumber and watch it take shape.

We are a little over a year in since we broke ground on our bow roof boat shed and began construction on our boat. The response to our website and Youtube channel (both found below in my signature) has been great and we've connected with people from all over the world.

We've spent around $9000 so far (not including around $2000 for the boat shed) and all the frames are built, all the keel members have been built (still needs final fitting) and the white oak to move forward is stacked neatly in the shop and ready to go.

The frames are built with larch and the keel is a mixture of dimensional doug fir and Larch. We've used 7.5 gallons of rescorcinol so far and a bit of epoxy. I'll work to keep the forum updated on our progress and many thanks to the veterans here who have unintentionally answered quite a few questions for me from other posts.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

Excellent.

Remember that our host, WoodenBoat Magazine started and remains about all forms of wood: traditional methods of all cultures, plywood, epoxy methods, you name it. While there are occasional disputes, especially if a religious dispute errupts over CPES, most of us may have a favorite sort of boat and favorite construction but are at least respectful of other approaches so long as they are about quality, not junk.

And if you do a serarch here, you'll find that when Buehler is mentioned, it's favorable.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

I actually started with Glen-L and their 14.5' Zip. I'm still working on that one too. I quickly realized how much more boat I really wanted and went back and re-read Backyard Boat Building. I had only read half previously as I dismissed it as crazy to attempt to build such a large boat. However after getting my feet wet with the zip and with a better understanding of the process and terminology the idea became less crazy. I really didn't consider any other designs because I don't really know much about boats or boating. I know, I know my story keeps getting worse and worse. After reading and emailing with George I was sold. Simple design, rugged simplicity I began to believe it was something I could do. My wife and I have always wanted a waterfront home in the South but knew we could never afford it. We figured this might be a way to get a home on the water in time for retirement.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

Not very "boaty" but needed to be done.

We built a gantry crane to help with the laying down of our 1500 pound keel for various tasks. It'll be much easier with the keel horizontal. We used a combination of a chainfall and a come-a-long to gently lay her down on her side. I worried about how to do this for weeks and when all was said and done it was rather anti-climatic.

We also completed two more glue ups while I still had temperatures above 50 degrees. Probably the last of the big glue ups of the season. We are getting close to doing floor timbers, fabricating keel bolts and actually installing frames!

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

I`m enjoying following along on the videos and here. Cannot wait to see the frames standing up. I know that was when I really felt like I was getting somewhere rather than just making pieces to stack against the wall.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

Episode 20 of our YouTube series is now online. We do more keel work, install some 18" long 1/2" drift bolts and do some more keel bolt threading. Our Gantry crane will hopefully be rolling this weekend and then we can start work on the transom. We may just have some frames installed soon!

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

Originally Posted by andrewpatrol

P.S. Did you consider any other designs before starting ? One that comes to mind is a Gartside motorsailer. What was your reasoning?

I would imagine cost and build time are way up there. Don't get me wrong, Paul's motorsailers are absolute dream projects. I know I've sailed all through the Northwest and half way to Hawaii on a few pleasant nights sleep. But that has to be twice as much money and three times as many hours as a straight walled Buehler hull, finished simple and rugged. You can't very well build that lovely round bilge hull and not stick a solid, bright caprail on it. The the deck has to fit that and the spars look better in varnish. And it goes from there...

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

I think the mental hurdles are fewer to a new builder. I have built three boats, and helped with a few others. They were all chine boats, though the first was multi-chine and really simulated a round hull. Later, when I was replacing planks on a traditional hull, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't very hard. But I think that I would not have had the confidence to start with a round planked hull.
Scott, if you are careful and patient and persistent you'll build a good boat.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

While I agree that a round bottom boat isn't any harder to build or necessarily more expensive to build than a hard chined hull, one of Bueler's greatest strengths is writing in a way that makes building big boats accessible. I know I enjoyed his books. But now is not the time to second guess Scott's build. As long as he is happy with the choice and it meets his needs that's all that matters. I know I'll continue to enjoy watching his progress.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

This was a question for Scott. I’m not bagging his choice but wondering if he’d considered others and HIS reasoning for going with the DD. It may be he has other reasons than the apparent ease of of build.
This is not an invitation to further the discussion. After all its Scott’s thread.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

No worries all, I learn from your debates. The best example I can give about round bottom vs a chine boat is the difference between when you read Larry Pardey's book and George Buehlers book. I love them both, and admire the skill of both authors as well. Larry builds this absolutely exceptional round bottom wooden boat out of teak for the ages. George builds a chine boat with "what he can find".

I read a few books before settling on the Duck. You can say it's salesmanship or my nautical naivety, but George's book was the only one I could understand, Literally. I love reading Larry's book, and I have read it several times (actually reading it again now) and I just don't understand half of what he is talking about. In order to develop the graceful lines of his boat he utilizes tools, techniques and a language that simply escapes me.

George on the other hand, and let's be honest, puts forth this relatively simple design with plenty of straight lines. No need for complex lofting and pulling measurements off of buttock lines (whatever that is). If you have some familiarity with home construction and/or woodworking you are capable of building a Buehler boat. In order to build Larry's boat you need to be a boat builder.

I would love to be a "boat builder" someday, I believe the Sea Dreamer Project will give me a lot of that experience toward that end, I am not one today. I'm a woodworker, a DIY'er and a tinkerer who is building a small, curved, floating house. Some of the projects I see on this forum are truly outstanding. They motivate me to keep reading, learning and trying and I apply some things I learn here into my build. Those guys are the boat builders, the ones who understand classic boat construction. I'm happy with my place in the pecking order of all things boat building, The journey is always better than the destination.

So to give a really long winded answer, I chose the Buehler design because I thought I could complete it, I had confidence that I could do it. His design gave me the best chance to get out on the water, cruising, living. I think any other design would just remain a drawing on the wall or at best a mangled keel in the boat shed.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

Originally Posted by scott2640

No worries all, I learn from your debates. The best example I can give about round bottom vs a chine boat is the difference between when you read Larry Pardey's book and George Buehlers book. I love them both, and admire the skill of both authors as well. Larry builds this absolutely exceptional round bottom wooden boat out of teak for the ages. George builds a chine boat with "what he can find".

I read a few books before settling on the Duck. You can say it's salesmanship or my nautical naivety, but George's book was the only one I could understand, Literally. I love reading Larry's book, and I have read it several times (actually reading it again now) and I just don't understand half of what he is talking about. In order to develop the graceful lines of his boat he utilizes tools, techniques and a language that simply escapes me.

George on the other hand, and let's be honest, puts forth this relatively simple design with plenty of straight lines. No need for complex lofting and pulling measurements off of buttock lines (whatever that is). If you have some familiarity with home construction and/or woodworking you are capable of building a Buehler boat. In order to build Larry's boat you need to be a boat builder.

I would love to be a "boat builder" someday, I believe the Sea Dreamer Project will give me a lot of that experience toward that end, I am not one today. I'm a woodworker, a DIY'er and a tinkerer who is building a small, curved, floating house. Some of the projects I see on this forum are truly outstanding. They motivate me to keep reading, learning and trying and I apply some things I learn here into my build. Those guys are the boat builders, the ones who understand classic boat construction. I'm happy with my place in the pecking order of all things boat building, The journey is always better than the destination.

So to give a really long winded answer, I chose the Buehler design because I thought I could complete it, I had confidence that I could do it. His design gave me the best chance to get out on the water, cruising, living. I think any other design would just remain a drawing on the wall or at best a mangled keel in the boat shed.

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

Regarding this point...

I would love to be a "boat builder" someday

Scott, you are building a boat. In my book that makes you a "boat builder". If we start eliminating everyone building a hard-chine, plywood boat or building a boat from full-size templates or some other method that does not require lofting, then it's going to get awful quiet around here!

Re: Building a 41' Diesel Duck: Sea Dreamer Project

We switched to epoxy for the last couple glue-ups for the keel for two reasons. #1 It was getting a bit chilly here in upstate NY and I could not guarantee that I could hold 50 degrees in the boat shed overnight for the Aerodux 185 (resorcinol) to set up. #2, I ran out of clamps that were long enough! So we coated both joining faces with fast setting, un-thickened epoxy and let that soak in a bit. We then added a healthy slathering of thickened epoxy. Maintaining the 40 degrees was much more managable for the weather conditions we had.

I'm now happy to report that the major keel glue-ups are now complete. Just in time as real winter temperatures have arrived and it'll most likely be to cold for any boat shed glue ups until spring. We just dry fit the knees to see how things look and check our angles against the plans (perfect!)

A little more work to do on our gantry crane, and I've said it before and failed, but the crane should be complete and rolling this weekend! All the keel, knee and rudder bolts are complete and are packaged for shipment to the galvanizer. Then the plan is to mill up some more white oak for the transom, build it and then keep moving toward the bow cutting floor timbers and setting frames. Should be a fun winter.